Wednesday, June 7, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Outlaw signs to play baseball — and music — at DSU
By Rongi Yost
Correspondent
Alec Gannon, four-year
varsity starter for the Outlaws
baseball team, recently signed
with Dakota State University,
and will play for the Trojans
next year.
Alec is versatile, and has
played every position on the
field except for catcher and
first base. His main position
has always been second base,
but when the Outlaws needed
speed in the outfield, Gannon
was there. Alec was a second-
team all-league selection
and finished with a .356 bat-
ting average this year for the
Outlaws.
Sisters High School head
baseball coach Steve Hodges
said, “Alec is left-handed,
which makes him an excel-
lent drag bunter. He can
really place the ball down the
third-base line, which will
add to his offensive capabili-
ties. He’s a smart base runner,
gets good jumps speed-wise,
and is a stealing threat every
time he gets on base. Being
left-handed is to his advan-
tage and will utilize his speed
as a line-drive hitter. He’s
also a very good defensive
player. He can play in the
outfield or the infield, but I
see him playing second base.
I wish him the best of luck at
the next level.”
Gannon has played base-
ball since he was three, from
T-ball through high school. It
wasn’t his favorite sport until
eighth grade when he noticed
he was honing his skills, get-
ting better, and having fun at
the same time.
“I was so sad when the
season was over that I joined
a club team, Oregon Select,
out of Central Oregon,” said
Gannon. “I kept playing club
through my junior year. The
thing I love about baseball is
how different it is compared
to other sports. It’s smooth
and has its own style.”
Alec told The Nugget he’s
always wanted to play col-
lege baseball, but he didn’t
want to sit on the bench. He
heard from DSU through a
recruiting website, and was
contacted by their assistant
head coach in early April.
The Trojans were interested
in what he had to offer, and
asked for an update on his
season, current stats, and a
skills video. In just over a
month, Alec had commit-
ted, and officially signed his
papers on May 15.
In addition to being a stel-
lar baseball player, Alec is a
musician, singer/songwriter,
and plays soul/alternative
music. He’s been involved in
the Americana Project since
he was in middle school, and
has performed at numerous
gigs at various locations in
Sisters and Bend. Over the
summer, Alec plans to do a
live recording of eight to 10
of his original songs.
Alec told The Nugget he
loves the game of baseball
and is excited he’ll be play-
ing at the collegiate level, but
baseball wasn’t the big draw
for him in choosing DSU. His
main reason was because he
can earn a degree in audio
production, and can branch
off into music production,
digital media, and work on a
crew that scores movies.
“When I found out I could
play baseball and also be
involved in a music back-
ground I got really excited,”
said Gannon. “I knew that’s
where I should go, even
though it’s going to be cold
with winters down to -20
degrees. Personally, I like
music more than baseball,
but I do love baseball. I want
to play while I’m young and
able and see how good I can
get at it.”
Gannon shared what his
dream job would be.
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Alec Gannon is a versatile ballplayer.
“If I could have the per-
fect job, I would love to be
a music producer that works
with the artists and musicians
and make awesome music,”
said Gannon.
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